Board adopts final budget:: Makes money available for a code compliance office

Debra Moore

Staff Writer

10/13/2013

It will be business as usual for county departments this week, as Furlough Friday officially ends Oct. 12.

Many county employees had been working four nine-hour days, with most offices closed to the public on Fridays.

But that era came to an end as the Plumas County Board of Supervisors adopted the 2013-14 budget Oct. 1 and restored county employees to full time in the process.

The furloughs helped result in $1 million less in expenditures during the past fiscal year.

The total 2013-14 county budget comes in at $78,626,821, with the general fund accounting for $28,053,384 of expenditures. The budget contains 363.658 allocated positions, though not all positions are filled.

The county has a balanced budget, a $2 million reserve, and $450,000 in its contingency fund.

During the Oct. 1 meeting, the supervisors added $100,000 to the contingency fund to consider hiring a code compliance officer.

The Oct. 1 meeting was a continuation of the Sept. 18 public hearing, during which the board considered allocating money for tourism, when there appeared to be $55,000 available for optional items.

But since that meeting, Supervisor Jon Kennedy had a change of heart.

“There’s so much more to tackle and fix,” Kennedy said, and mentioned some of the cuts that the departments had absorbed in addition to furloughs.

He said it was hard to think that there was “extra money” when employees’ cost of living adjustments and raises had been put on hold.

Kennedy also mentioned the loss of the county’s code enforcement position.

“That’s one of the biggest mistakes we ever made,” Supervisor Sherrie Thrall said, and added that she would support even a part-time position.

The other supervisors agreed and put money aside in the budget to potentially fund the position.

The budget also includes a litigation fund of $150,000, a retiree health insurance contribution of $126,147, a professional services fund of $175,000 and a fund for information technology equipment, including video for the boardroom, of $14,576.